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According to the Curriculum for the Swedish Preschool, parent-teacher conferences
are important practices in the intermediate sphere and in the relations
between home and preschool. This article draws on a study in which the overall
aim is to explore how parent-teacher conferences are constructed and used in
Swedish preschools. Using transcripts of audiotaped episodes from parentteacher
conferences, the analysis reveals that the interactions are charactarised
by formality in accordance with institutional talk, but also to a large extent
informality. Additionally, the analyses show that the parent-teacher conferences
are characterised by “soft governance” both in terms of content (what)
and form (how). The teachers use various communicative techniques that govern
the conversation: closeness and intimacy, the use of anecdotes, references
to the common interest of the child, elements of humour and laughter,
and seemingly neutral questions. The article also discuss how “soft governance”
is used in the construction and the assessment of a desirable preschool
child and parent.